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    Deal 3.1 Home Page
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<h2>Deal 3.1</h2>
<h3> A bridge hand generator</h3> <h4> by Thomas Andrews</h4></center>
Features:
<DL>
<LI>Easy to use for quick, simple dealing
<LI>Customizable output formats
<LI>Infinitely extensible via TCL
<LI>Easily portable to most platforms
<LI>Free (GNU public license)
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<td align=center valign="center"><img valign="middle" SRC="../graphics/falling_small.jpg" WIDTH=225 HEIGHT=216 ALT="Deal 3.1"></td>
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<H2>Information found on these pages:</H2>
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    <LI> <span class="alert">New!</span> <a href="dds.html">Built-in double-dummy solver</a>
    <LI> <a href="downloading.html">Downloading and Building Instructions</a> 
    <LI> <a href="quickdos.html">An Introductory Tutorial for Windows</a>
    <LI> <a href="quickstart.html">An Introductory Tutorial for Unix</a>
    <LI> <a href="advanced.html">An Advanced User's Guide</a>
    <LI> <a href="commtop.html">A list of all Deal 3.1 Commands</a>
    <LI> <a href="examples.html">Example Scripts</a>
    <LI> <A href="ext-ref.html">External Resources</a>
    <LI> <a href="history.html">History</a>
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<H2>Things you can do with <strong>Deal</strong>:</H2>
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    <LI> <strong>Dealing</strong>: Generate random deals for your club.
    <LI> <strong>Bidding practice</strong>:  Practice general bidding,
	or specific situations
    <LI> <strong>Settle arguments</strong>: Was bidding game wise over
        that limit raise?  Was that the spade nine really the best lead?
    <LI> <strong>Statistical experiments</strong>: How often does a bid
        occur?  How often does this slam make?
    <LI> <strong>"Problem solver" contests</strong>: Solve magazine
        problems, and learn where even the experts go wrong
    <LI> <strong>Interface with other programs</strong>: Deal 3.1 comes
        with the ability to call the GIB double dummy solver.
</UL>

<h2>What is Tcl?</h2>

<em>Tcl</em>, pronounced "tickle," stands for "Tool command language."
If you are a Windows user, think of it as the Unix equivalent to
Visual Basic.  But, unlike Visual Basic, Tcl works on almost all
operating systems, not just those made by Bill Gates.
<p>
Tcl is used in a variety of different software, from testing tools
to web software (AOL Server, Vignette) and, of most interest to bridge
players, <a href="http://www.floater.org/">Floater,</a> the free online bridge program.
<p>
The people in charge of Tcl are <a href="http://www.scriptics.com/">
Scriptics.</a>  But don't let their web site fool you - the basic software is free.

<p>
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<table><tr><td><a href="../index.html">
<image border=0 width=40 height=56 src="../graphics/StampSm.gif"></a><td>
<address><a NAME="mysig"> Thomas Andrews</a>
(<a href="mailto:thomaso@best.com">thomaso@best.com</a>)
<a name="caveat"> Copyright 1996-2001.</a> Deal is copyrighted under the
<a href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">GNU General Public License.</a>
</address>
<p>
<em>Plane Dealing</em> graphic
above created using
<a href="http://www.povray.org/">POV-Ray.</a>
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